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T.I. Reunites With 'ATL' Director for an Indie Comedy With Mike Epps

Trace William Cowen is a writer based in Los Angeles. He tweets with dramatic irregularity here.

Aug 18, 2016

Image via ConcertTour

T.I. and Mike Epps are pairing up for a new Queen Latifah​-produced comedy directed by Chris Robinson, the award-winning music video director who was also the guy behind the 2006 drama ATL. The Trap is described by the Hollywood Reporter as an "indie comedy" based on a story crafted by Epps and Wild 'N Out producer Nile Evans.

T.I. stars as a man making a return to his hometown of Atlanta to help his brother, Epps, rescue their mother's struggling restaurant. The restaurant sees a change of luck after the team decides to tweak a classic chicken recipe, a boost in fortune that's sadly burdened by some "unexpected problems."

Robinson's ATL marked T.I.'s film debut alongside a stellar cast that also included Big Boi, Killer Mike, Monica, Evan Ross, and more. News of an ATL sequel hit headlines last year, with T.I. telling BlogXilla that "the entire cast" was down to continue Rashad's story. "It's a sequel where everyone is coming back, there isn't any holdouts," T.I. said last March. "There's nobody saying, 'No, I'm not doing it'… Everybody's coming back and I think that, to me, is a sign of a sequel."

Latifah's Flavor Unit Entertainment, which she co-founded with Shakim Compere in 1995, has previously been the force behind the films Bessie, Brotherly Love, Beauty Shop, and the 2012 TV movie version of Steel Magnolias. Netflix swooped in back in 2013 to ink an exclusive licensing deal that gives them first-pick privileges on all Flavor Unit projects.